Cyber security is a major concern in transactions

At a time when ‘online banking’ and ‘wireless transactions’ have become the new buzzwords, courtesy the demonetisation drive, cyber security experts fear that the city might not be prepared for this transition, just yet.Siddharth Tadepalli | TNN | November 26, 2016, 08:50 IST

HYDERABAD: At a time when ‘online banking’ and ‘wireless transactions’ have become the new buzzwords, courtesy the demonetisation drive, cyber security experts fear that the city might not be prepared for this transition, just yet.

A recent survey conducted by Norton by Symantec, a global anti-virus firm that revealed that 14 per cent of smartphone users in the city are not concerned about the possible risks that might affect their devices. This figure, shockingly, is the highest in the country.

“Netizens in the city are most complacent when it comes to being worried about possible security risks that might affect their systems,” said Ritesh Chopra, country manager of Norton by Symantec. While post demonetisation, the use of e-wallets has grown manifold in the city, Chopra warns that these are most vulnerable to a cyber-attack.

The study states, “One out of five people has never changed the passwords on some devices or applications. Only a little over half -- which is 56 per cent -- use a strong passwords which is a combination of numbers, symbols and letters.”

The top three risks facing smartphone users in the city are: malware infection, junk text or email and misuse of bank or credit card details.

“It is not just the people who should be blamed for this. Even law enforcing bodies have become extremely complacent. They use outdated software to tackle new-age crime,” said Pavan Duggal, a supreme court lawyer who deals with cases on cyber security.

Officials from the Cyber Crime Cell, of the Hyderabad City Police, however, pass the buck onto denizens for the rise in cyber crime. Agreeing to the findings of the study they say that the burden of cases on them would come down by half if people starting using using stronger passwords for their online ‘businesses’.

“Many of the complaints that we receive can easily be avoided if people adopt better security measures,” said Raghuveer, ACP of the cell, adding that the station continues to receive close to six complaints everyday. “Despite all our efforts, people do not make an attempt to protect themselves on the internet,” he said.